Day: November 21, 2017

Rosie Duffield MP and local Labour Councillor Bernadette Fisher visited Windsor House in Whitstable this Thursday to attend their weekly resident coffee morning. At the event Rosie launched the Labour Safer Homes appeal at Windsor House, speaking to residents about the safety lessons we should learn following the Grenfell tower tragedy. Recent research has indicated that just 2% of the UK’s council and housing association tower blocks have sprinkler systems.

In 2007 Labour made it compulsory for all new high-rise blocks to have sprinklers fitted and not it is calling for all council and housing association tower blocks, starting with those 30m (ten storeys) or higher, will ensure that:

No resident lives in a high-rise block without the added safety of sprinklers

No council or housing association cannot do this vital work because they lack the funds

No residents lose out on other important maintenance works or badly needed new house-building because funds are being diverted to fit sprinklers

Rosie also heard from the residents about their road safety concerns and the new speeds at which motorists are driving down Belmont Road. Rosie is supporting the residents’ calls for a review of road safety features near to Windsor House, to allow residents to more safely walk into the town centre.